Ron DeSantis is determined to get unvaccinated Novak Djokovic to play at the Miami Open, even if it means putting him in a boat.
The Florida governor says he is still trying to circumvent “old” vaccine mandates for foreign visitors after writing President Biden a letter urging him to let the tennis star into the United States.
The world number 1’s desire for an exemption for next week’s tournament is fading, with Djokovic adamant in his decision not to get vaccinated as he was not considered high risk.
He has already withdrawn from the Indian Wells Open in California after being denied entry to the US.
“Hardly any other country in the world is doing this,” DeSantis said, criticizing the continued ban on travelers who haven’t gotten a COVID vaccine.
DeSantis admitted that it was ultimately not his choice whether the world number one would be allowed to compete, joking that he might need a boat from the Bahamas to South Florida.
Ron DeSantis is determined to get unvaccinated Novak Djokovic to play at the Miami Open, even if it means getting him on a boat.
Novak Djokovic (pictured) will withdraw from the Indian Wells Open tournament next week
He also said that Djokovic decided not to get the shot because he was only at “lower risk” and now has “natural immunity” because he was infected.
“It just shows you how ridiculous some of this nonsense we’ve been going through is,” he added.
Touting his COVID response in Florida, he said: ‘We’re up against madness. We made the state of refuge of sanity and the citadel of freedom. We did not allow the state to descend into some kind of Faucian dystopia.
DeSantis’ letter sent Monday, obtained by DailyMail.com, came the same day he delivered his State of the State address and is ramping up his national buzz as he moves a step closer to a presidential announcement.
“Denial is unfair, unscientific and unacceptable,” DeSantis wrote in his letter. I urge you to reconsider.
With just five days to go before this season’s inaugural Masters competition, the 35-year-old has yet to receive a response from the US government on his application.
He said: ‘Whatever the decision is, if I’m not allowed, I’ll withdraw, of course, before the draw.
‘Let’s see what the answer is, then I’ll take it from there. I’ll focus now on the tournament here in Dubai, then we’ll see what’s next.”
The letter comes as nearly all COVID-19 restrictions in the US have been lifted, and the national emergency declaration will end in May.
“It is time to put pandemic politics aside and give the American people what they want: let them play,” DeSantis insisted.
“The only thing preventing Mr. Djokovic from participating in this tournament is his administration’s continued enforcement of a misguided, unscientific and outdated COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreign visitors seeking to visit our great country.” , continues the governor of Florida. tearing apart Biden and the remnants of pandemic-era politics.
The letter is yet another sign that Desantis is preparing to take on Biden should they go head-to-head in a general election battle in 2024.
The United States is the only country on the ATP tour for which players must be vaccinated, though President Joe Biden’s office will lift that rule on May 11, three months before the US Open Grand Slam.
DeSantis’ two-page letter to Biden, obtained by DailyMail.com before it was made public, shows the Florida governor demanding that the president stop enforcing ‘a misguided, unscientific and outdated COVID-19 vaccination requirement’ for foreign guests’
His absence gives teenager Carlos Alcaraz (above) a chance to rise to the top of the world rankings
Djokovic missed the flagship US Open and several other competitions in the US last year after the Center for Disease Control failed to relax its regulations. Organizers in Indian Wells and Miami have urged the government to let him into the country.
The Serb did not withdraw from last year’s Indian Wells entry list until after the draw took place, which was controversial given that his decision meant the first substitute had to go through qualifying rather than take his place. , and denied another the opportunity to take the qualifying spot. .
But this year, he has insisted that he retire before the draw rather than wait until just before the first game.
His final decision could come on Saturday, after the Dubai Duty Free Championships ends, with the Indian Wells draw on Sunday, a day before the event begins.
If Djokovic retires, Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz can rise to the top of the world rankings, but only if he wins the tournament.
The veteran, who has gone 15 games unbeaten, faces 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal in Dubai on Friday.
British star Emma Raducanu, 20, was given a wild card berth at the Miami Open on Thursday and will also appear in Indian Wells after several other players withdrew.
Miami Open boss and former player James Blake urged the US government to let Djokovic in